MAITHREE Nirmala Rajasekar

NIRMALA RAJASEKAR MAITHREE innova 987

, cello 2:29 , veena, voice

MAITHREE 8:03

Michelle Kinney

5:21 6:05 5:02 , mridangam, ghatam, khanjira Nirmala Rajasekar , clarinet, alto saxophone, cowbell , clarinet, alto saxophone, 57:28– Nanati Baduku Nanati Baduku Dream Ted’s Maithree - The Music of Friendship Friendship of Music - The Maithree Oyun Havası Nihavent Journey Sublime Nirmala Rajasekar & Nirmala Rajasekar Thanjavur K. Murugaboopathi Sri Annamacharya & Michelle Kinney Peter Linman Lyrics by H.H. Chandrasekharendra Saraswati Saraswati H.H. Chandrasekharendra by Lyrics Desai by Vasant Music Tatlıyay Haydar , bongos, frame drums, bendr, daff, riqq bendr, , bongos, frame drums, 9. 10. – 6. 7. 8. Recordings is the label of the ® Pat O’Keefe © Nirmala Rajasekar. All Rights Reserved, 2018. © Nirmala Rajasekar. innova American Composers Forum. www.nirmalarajasekar.com www.innova.mu

Tim O’Keefe Tim

4:31 10:02

Thanjavur K. Murugaboopathi 4:27

5:23

6:03

Mary O’Neil Mary Processional Temple Mallari: Prism The Quest - Vaasanthi Pentatonic - New Beginnings Pentatonic - New Pat O’ Keefe Nirmala Rajasekar Nirmala Rajasekar Nirmala Nirmala Rajasekar Turlough O’ Carolan Carolan O’ Turlough & K. Murugaboopathi Thanjavur 4. 5. 3. 1. 2. Nirmala Rajasekar is one of the best known Saraswathi veena players and vocalists in the world today. A dynamic and vibrant artist, she has been perform- ing for nearly four decades all over the world. nirmalarajasekar.com

Murugaboopathi aka Boopathi is one of the world’s most celebrated mridangam THESE ARE MORE THAN JUST players. He had the unique honor of living SONGS with his Guru Tanjore Upendren and learn- ing in the age old tradition of ‘Gurukula’. THEY ARE A RHYTHMIC, MELODIC sangeetmela.org/artists/murugaboopathi- & HARMONIC CONVERGENCE OF mridangam/ MANY DIVERSE SOULS & SPIRITS INTO ONE Michelle Kinney, cellist and composer, is EXPRESSIVE CREATION. a dedicated and lifelong improviser, who has passionately pursued non-traditional contexts for the cello. WHAT COMES FROM THE HEART michellekinneymusic.com REACHES THE HEART. THE MAITHREE Pat O’Keefe is a multifaceted performer EXPERIENCE MADE OUR HEARTS who is active in a wide variety of musical genres. He is currently the woodwind BEAT player for the new music ensemble Zeit- TOGETHER AS ONE IN geist, and has studied Brazilian, Turkish, and Korean music. patokeefe.org THE UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE OF MUSIC

Tim O’Keefe has been a mainstay of the World Music scene in the Upper Midwest — Gary Hines for over thirty years. He has performed (Sounds of Blackness) with world renowned artists including Simon Shaheen and has co-founded ensembles including Robayat, Amwaaj, Batucada do Norte, Choro Borealis. My warmest greetings to you! It is with great joy that I invite you to join us on this very special journey of many cultures and the bonds of love that ties us all together. ‘Maithree - the Music of Friendship’ is a testament to what music means to me and my colleagues on this album. It is a bridge that facilitates greater understanding and appreciation of one other.

Come! Let us celebrate the world through the kaleidoscopic lens of music. – Nirmala Rajasekar

It is an honor and a gift to play this music with Maithree. Through these friendships I have enjoyed a profoundly fruitful cross-cultural collaboration, and I am constantly amazed and inspired by the incredible musicianship in this band. I am very grateful to the universe for landing me as a body in motion orbiting around the luminary Nirmala, with the special people she has drawn close for this project. – Michelle Kinney

The Maithree project is one of my favorite ensembles to play in because it brings together many of my musical interests in one place: new music created collaboratively, improvisation, and a focus on music from cultures outside of my own. But the thing that really makes this music come to life is the friendship and bond between the incredible people that I am honored to share the stage with: Tim, Michelle, Boopathi, and our founder and guide Nirmala. I am truly blessed. – Pat O’Keefe

What an incredible opportunity to work with such top notch musicians and beautiful spirits as the col- laborators of the Maithree ensemble. Incredible range of musical background and ideas that keeps the music always fresh and exciting. It inspires me every time we get together and leaves me wanting more. I feel ever so lucky and honored to be a part of Maithree. – Tim O’Keefe

Maithree is a wonderful concept by Veena maestro Nirmala Rajasekar. It is a collaboration of world music and friendship. All the songs in this album have their unique beauty. All the musicians have worked very hard, sincerely and passionately. They have introduced their own compositions and music here. I am amazed by the musicianship of these artists and feel very grateful be part of Maithree. I convey my sincere thanks to Vidhushi Nirmala Rajasekar for including me in this project. My thanks to Innova Recordings for publishing Maithree. - K. Murugaboopathi 1. Mary O’Neil, also known as O’Carolan’s Fa- ram (three-beat) version, and a climactic double vorite Jig was composed in the late 1600s by speed. The strict adherence of the melodic instru- the prolific Irish composer Turlough O’Carolan. ments to the composed line, as prescribed by Though it is a well-worn traditional Irish tune, it the format, provides space for the mridangam came to life in unexpected and exciting ways in to flourish and command the listener’s ear in its the hands of the Maithree musicians who added rhythmic improvisations. depth with layers of percussion and improvised solos. The ancient voice of the veena deepened 3. Pentatonic - New Beginnings first came into the emotional impact of the tune. The relatively being when Nirmala composed the piece for her static harmony almost implies a drone, allowing duo “Namaste/Sláinte” with Michelle. It was soon for the veena, the cello, and the clarinet to high- adapted by their trio “Butterfly” with Chinese pipa light the common ground between the Irish and maestro Gao Hong. It has now grown to be a Indian musical traditions, while keeping true to piece for the five players of Maithree. Pentatonic the integrity of the tune. has been set in the five-note raga Suddha Saveri and the five-beat tala Kanda Chapu. With its Mai- 2. Mallari: Temple Processional was specially three induction, Pentatonic has reached its apex written for clarinet, veena, and mridangam. A tra- of fives—this reincarnation is “New Beginnings.” ditional “mallari” is typically played on the ancient South Indian reed instrument (Nadhaswaram, 4. Prism is based on the raga Amruthavarshini, aka Nagaswaram) and drum (Thavil) while the which means Raining Nectar, and is a blending of artists circle around the temple through the night. East and West. In this piece Pat combines South They would leave the doors of the temple at Indian melodic elements with European-style about 9pm playing the piece’s first movement, go counterpoint. In Pat’s words, “The title reflects around the entire temple campus (which could this process, as the raga is refracted and diffused be several miles sometimes) and circle back in through my Western viewpoint.” the early hours of the morning (about 5am) after playing music the whole time. All through the 5. Vaasanthi - The Quest musically articulates the night the Mallari would be heard reverberating in search for the perfect tone… the perfect sound… the night air. the perfect phrase. Nirmala composed this piece This piece, composed in the raga Gambira in the raga Vaasanthi and the slow rhythmic cycle Nattai by Boopathi and Nirmala, undergoes three of seven beats, Misra Chapu. The players have rhythmic stages—a preliminary speed, its this- added improvised layers to the quest. 6. Maithree - The Music of Friendship – Maithreem sion while the cello and clarinet parts are new Bhajatha – was premiered at the United Nations, and unique; together, they create a mesmerizing New York City in 1966 by the evergreen queen soundscape that captures the poet’s sentiments: of Carnatic music, Smt. M.S. Subhalakshmi. This “All the world is a stage and we are merely play- piece was specially written and composed for the ers.” It is as though Time is smirking at our mis- performance by H.H. Chandrashekara Saraswathi steps. and veteran music director Sri Vasant Desai; its message is one of world peace and friendship 10. Michelle says, “Ted’s Dream was composed across borders. in collaboration with my friend Peter Linman after a life changing trip to India, and the influence 7. Nihavent Oyun Havası is a beautiful melo- is apparent. Maithree’s take on this piece is en- dy originating in Turkey, composed by Haydar ergetic and layered with passionate melody and Tatlıyay. The title itself is merely factual. Oyun solo interpretations. Nirmala’s arresting voice at Havası refers to a type of instrumental folk dance the end is a delightful new addition. For me this music, and Nihavent is a type of Turkish makam, tune invokes the memory of young love lost that or melodic mode, so the title simply translates to forever remains in one’s heart.” “folk dance in the Nihavent mode.”

8. Sublime Journey has been created by Nirmala based on life‘s unpredictable path. Composed in a garland of three ragas with intricate rhythms, it is a challenging piece for collaboration at many lev- els. Raga changes, rhythmic complexities, mood and melody variations call for the complete syn- chronization of the performers.

9. Nanati Baduku –This traditional fifteenth-century century poem by Sri Annamacharya has been tuned in raga Revathi by Nedanuri Sri Krish- namurthy. In this special arrangement, the voice, veena and mridangam follow the traditional ver- Producer: Nirmala Rajasekar Associate Producers: Gary Hines, Shruthi Rajasekar, V. Srinivasan Recorded and mastered by Steve Kaul at Wild Sound Studios, May-June, 2016

It is my honor to work with my dear friends and musical maestros Thanjavur K. Murugaboopathi, Michelle Kinney, Pat O’Keefe, and Tim O’Keefe. I am grateful to them for their virtuosic brilliance, their passion for this project, their belief in me, and their personal support and love that made this album happen. My eternal gratitude to dear friend Steve Kaul for the many insightful ideas and innumerable hours spent in making this album.

A huge thank you to Grammy award winner Gary Hines for his guidance. Shruthi Rajasekar, your maturity, sharp listening skills, and keen musical instincts Acknowledgements always amaze me. My gratitude to V. Srinivasan for being the voice of reason in our lives. To Padma Wudali and Vidya Suresh, you help me in so many ways; thank you.

I cannot thank enough my parents Shri Janakiraman and Smt. Chandra, my Gu- rus, my husband Raj, son Neeraj, daughter Shruthi, our school Naadharasa Center for Music family, and our dear dog Sarabi for making my life what it is, and helping me strive for excellence in spreading the message of love and music.

My thanks to Cedar Cultural Center’s Dave Paulson and Emmy Carter.

It is a pleasure to work with Innova Recordings in the production of Maithree, our third project together after Song of the Veena and Into the Raga.

innova is supported by an endowment from the McKnight Foundation. Philip Blackburn, director, design • Chris Campbell, operations director • Tim Igel, publicist

Nirmala Rajasekar is a fiscal year 2018 recipient of an Artist Initiative grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board. This activity is funded, in part, by the Minnesota State Legislature from the State’s arts and cultural heritage fund.